


Silver

by entanglednow



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Crossdressing, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-01
Updated: 2008-11-01
Packaged: 2017-10-20 21:23:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/217223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/entanglednow/pseuds/entanglednow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Morgana indulges herself, Merlin's dignity is bruised.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silver

"Morgana?"

"Stay still," Morgana said smoothly, she was swirling around him, like some sort of tall exotic bird, the hem of her dress dragging over Merlin's boots in a rush of red silk and golden thread.

"Morgana?"

"Do you fidget this much for Arthur?" Merlin liked the way she said 'Arthur,' she made it sound curling and mysterious.

"When Arthur's feeling vindictive he mostly just takes me outside and makes me spar with him," Merlin said dryly.

"I promise you no bruises, how's that?" The most trusting man in the world probably wouldn't have trusted the delicate half smile Morgana was wearing.

So Merlin avoided the question.

"Shouldn't Gwen be helping you with this?"

"Gwen isn't here, and Arthur doesn't need you, so I've appropriated you."

"You've kidnapped me," Merlin twisted to look at Morgana where she was now wrist deep in a box behind him.

"You're supposed to be standing still," she said without turning.

Merlin looked at the far wall again.

"I'm supposed to be _helping_ you," he pointed out. "Which I assumed was in some way going to involve carrying things and not-" he had to stop talking when Morgana passed something shiny before his eyes again. "Not whatever this is."

"Oh, I'm not hurting you," Morgana said smoothly, though she sounded far too amused.

"My dignity's feeling more than a little bruised." Merlin thought he should point out.

Cold metal slid against the back of his neck, closely followed by the brush and twist of soft fingertips and knuckles on his skin. Delicate and tickling, before they shifted away, leaving just the cold metal.

Morgana swept back in front of him.

"You're pale, like me, I can see what the colour will look like against my skin."

Merlin tried to look at his own throat and failed.

Morgana lifted a hand, slid two fingers into the neck of his shirt and as much as he wasn't expecting _that_ , he was expecting the slide of chain even less. The necklace was instantly cold against his skin, her fingers moved. She prodded the pendant sideways, then back again. He tried to decide the best way of politely telling her to stop doing that.

But then she made a deciding noise and drifted back behind him.

Her fingers reappeared at the back of his neck, unclasping the chain.

The pendant slid down his chest and he lifted a hand to stop it. Only half sure that Morgana wouldn't happily put her hand under his shirt to get it. Instead she reached over his shoulder, and held her hand out.

He could feel her hair against his cheek, the warm slide of it over his skin, and he didn't dare turn his head, half afraid he'd end up with his face in it.  
   
She didn't move back but lowered a second fall of gems over his head.

"I really don't think any of these are me," he said carefully.

Morgana huffed laughter against the back of his neck, and Merlin utterly failed not to find that sensation distracting.

"I'm trying to see which of my necklaces will go with my blue dress and you are standing in as my blue dress." Merlin suspected he was doing a extraordinarily poor job of standing in as her blue dress. Though Morgana looked far more amused than annoyed.

"I suspect I should be insulted by that somehow," he ventured.

The newest necklace was much heavier than the first, all dangling gems and links of silver. Merlin prodded at it with a finger

"Stop fidgeting."

"How do you wear this, it's freezing?" Merlin asked curiously.

"It warms up the longer it lays against your skin."

Merlin found that thought strangely...interesting.

He prodded at it again, tried to turn it more onto his shirt.

"I could put you _in_ my blue dress," Morgana said smoothly.

Merlin stopped fidgeting.

Morgana drifted in front of him again.

"I think it would suit you."

"Didn't Uther outlaw torture?" Merlin said carefully, he was going for somewhere between teasing and respectful but got lost somewhere that sounded more like a worried dare. He wasn't sure quite how that happened.

"Oh, I wouldn't lace it up very tight." Morgana smiled, and it was a smile with _intent_.

"I had a conversation with Arthur about misuse of power you know." Merlin thought he should point out, though he got the distinct feeling Morgana would be even less likely to relinquish the ability to be mischevious at will.

Morgana laughed, low in her throat like he'd said something quite different, and moved the chain again.

"Did you now?"

"I'm fairly sure this qualifies."

"Hmm." Which was no answer at all.

Merlin's throat itched. He wondered if you could be allergic to jewellery?

"You look very pretty," Morgana said suddenly, and Merlin forgot all about whether he should or shouldn't scratch.

"I think if I do look pretty I've probably failed in some sort of terrible way," he told her, but Morgana was busy doing something with his ears.

"What are you-"

One of his ears now felt significantly heavier than the other.

"I thought it was just necklaces?"

Morgana's hand slithered past his other ear and now he had a matched set. Then she laid her hands on either side of his face and tipped it from one side to the other.

"I'm matching."

Merlin eyed her from eight inches away, but Morgana seemed to have perfected 'innocence' when she really needed it.

"I can't help but think you're actually amusing yourself at my expense."

"That too," she said honestly, she smiled then, and there was absolutely nothing innocent about it. "But only because you make it so much fun."

Merlin thought he should probably be scowling, but he settled for rolling his eyes instead.

Morgana flicked his hair with her fingernails, half playful and half chastising.

"Also, because Arthur likes you, and because I honestly think you care about our wellbeing," Morgana said softly, and her hands slid down his ears, catching silver and gemstones and sliding them free.

Merlin wasn't sure what to say.

She wound her arms round his neck, undid the catch of her necklace and let it trickle through her own fingers.

"Arthur will be wondering where you are," Morgana said meaningfully.

Merlin stared at her for a minute longer, but her face was unreadable now.

He took two steps towards the door, opened it.

"Oh and Merlin?"

Merlin paused halfway out of the room.

"It really is a very nice blue dress," Morgana said softly.

He made a face at her.

"It would go with your eyes."

She smiled at him.

Merlin could hear her laughter all the way down the corridor.


End file.
